Hermione's Condition
by Rebakah
Summary: He then proceeded, ignoring her protests, to pull up her sleeves, revealing hundreds of bruises on both of her arms. “Gods Granger,” he breathed, “did someone hurt you?" "Why should I tell the git who has hated me my entire life my darkest secret?"
1. Hermione Confides

**Disclaimer**: All of the characters are J.K. Rowling's  
**Warning**: Contains very **mild** language

Hermione's Condition

The war against You-kno-, Voldermort (it was so hard to get used to saying that name without fear of being followed), was over. The casualties were high, but life went on and all of the survivors of the battle of Hogwarts had gathered together to celebrate life. Everyone who had supported Harry was invited even if he or she had only switched sides at the end of the war.

The party was in full swing, it was a combination of mourning and celebration. The deep ache that comes when a loved one is no longer with us was mixed with the happiness of just being alive. However, some troubles had not vanished with Voldemort's defeat. As soon as she thought Harry, Ron, and Ginny wouldn't notice, Hermione slipped out onto the back porch (the front porch was to be avoided at all costs because of the lovers that were bound to be there, snogging). It was not chilly, but she wore a fitted, lilac turtleneck with sleeves that came past her wrists and black jeans that tucked neatly into her boots. She had her hair down and wore earrings that matched her jumper. She looked gorgeous even with every inch of her skin covered from chin down.

"How many more beautiful nights do I have left to enjoy?" Hermione thought as she leaned against the railing. Then she shook her head. "I can't think like that. Life is beautiful: the stars are bright, the air is fresh, and Harry and Ginny have finally hooked up!" The two hadn't officially reunited as a couple yet but everyone knew it was only a matter of time. When she had left them they were talking quietly and seemed to be having a somber discussion, but she recognized the shy smile on Harry's face as his 'she's so wonderful she's making me nervous' look and the way Ginny was twirling her hair showed that he wasn't the only one who still felt something. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face; Ron seemed happy, for once, to see his baby sister with a boy. When someone tapped her on the back, she winced as she whirled around to find Draco Malfoy smirking at her.

"A little jumpy tonight, aren't we," Draco drawled.

Hermione stared at him for a moment. She really didn't know how she stood with him these days. The war erased the foolish prejudices of old, leaving the Dark vs. the Light as the only real rivalry. Therefore, they weren't enemies anymore, but no one in their right mind would say that they were on anything near friendly terms.

After a few seconds, she turned back around. "I came out here for some air. Why don't you just go back to the party? I'm not really in the mood to fight right now."

"Well, I wanted to speak to you. And I would appreciate if you would look at me while I did," he replied. He grabbed her shoulder to turn her around and she let out an involuntary cry of pain and spun back to face him. "Why are you so sensitive? I always thought you were the tough one in the Golden Trio. Are you scared of the big bad Slytherin?" he asked with a snicker. "Let me guess, you're afraid of physical contact because your boyfriend Weasel abuses you. Is that right?"

His eyes traveled from her neck to her arms to her legs. "You know you aren't **that** ugly, Granger. Why are you all covered up?" She shrugged off his question but his curiosity was peaked. He then proceeded, ignoring her protests, to pull up her sleeves revealing hundreds of bruises all over both of her arms. Her legs were the same story. He gasped. "Gods Granger," he breathed running his fingers up and down her forearms, "did someone hurt you? Is… is Weasley beating you?"

Hermione wrested herself from his grasp, "Ron would never do something like that! Plus, he's not my boyfriend. Nobody's hurting me, I'm fine," she insisted blinking back the moisture forming in her eyes.

If that was the definition of fine, then Draco was a proud Hufflepuff. Something was very wrong. "You're hiding something. Tell me what's going on," he demanded. Hermione didn't even deign to give him a response. He took a deep breath and announced solemly, "You can trust me. I swear."

"Trust you?" She let out an embittered laugh. "Why would I trust the git who has treated me like shit my entire life with my deepest, darkest secret? I know you don't really give a damn. I haven't even told Harry and Ron about this." She leaned on the rail for support as tears streamed down her face. "No, not happening in this lifetime," she whispered.

"Look Gra- Hermione, you need to confide in someone. And although I may not be your first choice," she snorted, "I'm here now and listening. You don't know how much longer that's going to last." She gave him a cold glare. "I didn't mean it like that. Look, just," he raised his hand as if to place a comforting hand on her shoulder then retracted it and ran it through his hair instead. A physically abused, crying girl, he was so out of his league. "Just look at me, I promise I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me," he swallowed, "I'm not lying."

Hermione glanced back at Draco and found him staring at her intently. He looked… sincere. Could it be possible that he actually cared? He was right though; she couldn't carry this burden alone anymore. Fine then, he asked for it. She regained control of herself and slowed her tears. Then she began,

"I have a muggle disease, called cancer."

----------

**A/N**: I will never understand those people who are able to update everyday. As you might have noticed it takes me months! So I realized that the later chapters are of a much greater quality than the earlier ones. I just fixed up Chapter 1 and now it no longer pains me to read! I will hopefully keep editing.

Here's the original note: I know, very suspenseful. I would really appreciate your comments, so please review. I'm an emotion writer, I write about the things that are present in my life. Recently, too many people that I am close to have come down with this disease. This story is kind of a tribute to those who passed away and an encouragement to their families and those still fighting the cancer. Tell me your thoughts!


	2. No More Secrets

Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling.

Author's Note: Thank you to all those who reviewed. I replied to everyone with an account, so to all those anonymous reviewers, it was really appreciated! By the way, I can tell if you put the story on alert. Therefore, if you like the story enough to put it on alert (and I'm really flattered), take two minutes to review! Anyway, enjoy the story!

No More Secrets

"I have a muggle disease called cancer," Hermione stated. She then waited for a response. Draco just looked at her blankly. "Okaaay, I guess you have never heard of it so I'll try to explain. Cancer is a disease where certain cells in the body multiply rapidly and spread through the body. There are different types of cancer, I have a type of skin cancer called melanoma- it spreads quite rapidly and has the highest mortality rate," she recited. She saw the wheels in Draco's head turning; he needed some time to process but she didn't pause for him to catch up. The way she was talking was similar to the way people list the properties of Mandrakes, absolutely true but of no relevance to most of the populace. If she stopped to think about what she was saying, she would have to admit to herself that this was happening to her and thus accept- the consequences.

"The bruises you see are ironically from the treatment, not the disease. The chemotherapy kills all fast dividing cells, not only the cancerous ones. That means the platelets that prevent bruising are destroyed. The smallest things bruise me. You asked earlier if Ron was abusing me, well, he isn't- at least not on purpose. Probably three-quarters of the people in that party have given me bruises by slapping me on the back or pinching my cheek too hard. If I trip or bang my knee, I'm black and blue the next day. Am I rambling? I tend to do that sometimes, but it really is a fascinating disease-"

He was still struggling to understand, but he caught that Ron was hurting her, albeit accidentally, and asked her angrily, "Why isn't Weasel more careful? Why aren't the rest of them more careful?"

She stared at her feet and murmured something unintelligible.

"Didn't exactly catch that. Care to repeat?"

Slightly louder and still staring down, she muttered, "They don't exactly know. There hasn't been a convenient time to tell them yet."

"A convenient time?" he raised his eyebrow. "How long ago did this happen? Judging by the amount of bruises you have, it can't have been recently. Why haven't you told anyone yet?" He gave her a hard stare, a look that clearly stated he would tolerate nothing less than the truth.

"I was diagnosed," she answered, "right before we went off to destroy the Horcruxes. I had a funny lump on my knee when I came home from Hogwarts. I went to a doctor, a muggle healer, who immediately sent me for testing. It was confirmed that I had cancer.

"My parents begged me to stay home, but I knew my boys needed me. I couldn't tell them then, to come with them I was skipping months of chemo. The bright side of that was at least I didn't have to worry about hiding bruises. I knew that I might not last much past Voldermort's defeat to enjoy the freedom without treatment for so long, but it wasn't important," she raised her chin and looked him directly in the eye, "because I knew my magic would hold me until we brought him down. If I had told Harry and Ron of my condition they would have sent me home. Or, if I convinced them otherwise, they would constantly worry about me instead of more pressing matters," she said with the look of a warrior on her face.

"And now…?" Draco prompted gently.

"And now," biting her lip to stop any sobs that threatened to escape, Hermione exclaimed, "now I just can't do it! It's too soon after the Final Battle. So many died, I'm not ready to add to the sadness. It's time to rebuild people's lives in happiness and contentment. Plus, I don't need sympathy," she added.

She waited for him to either start teasing her for her 'Gryffindor' view of life or worse, walk back into the party and announce her secret. Instead he asked, "Why go to dokkers, or whatever their called, and not healers? With magic you should be able to be cured. That's the advantage of being a wizard." There was a touch of smugness in his voice.

With a half smile she responded, "I went to the best healers- they've never seen cancer before in the magical world, I guess I'm pretty special. The only thing magic has done for me is let me keep my hair. Like I told you, the treatment kills all fast growing cells, including hair. Therefore in all technicality, I should be balding. Ironically, my hair probably looks better now because, for some reason, the chemo mixed with my magic tamed it." She curled a lock of hair around her finger. "So right now, I'm depending on some heroic doctors and a miracle just to survive."

Draco considered the woman in front of him (she had left childhood behind too early, as most their age had done). She had explained that she was probably going to die in a matter of fact way that was pitifully reminiscent of her know-it-all school days. Those days seemed like ages ago, almost a previous lifetime as he watched the calm façade slowly slip from her features, and she sunk to the floor sobbing.

He sat down beside Hermione and gathered her awkwardly into his arms. Draco then changed his hold on her, trying to relax and make her as comfortable as possible. He hugged her tightly, trying to convey how much he really cared and how he desperately wished he could make everything better. He rubbed gentle, rhythmic circles on her back to soothe her. The warmth of her ex-sworn enemy calmed Hermione and slowed her tears.

When Draco believed she was ready, he shifted so that they were facing each other: eyes locked, both sitting cross-legged, and his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed them reassuringly. He gently but forcefully told her, "You are an amazing woman, Hermione. Your strength and devotion is, well, I'm blown away. It's so different from how I was brought up, purebloods learn to use people and only help out for personal gain. I think it was very noble of you to keep this a secret, but it's time to tell your friends the truth, especially Potty and" noting the look of displeasure on her face he rephrased, "I mean Potter and Weasley. I'm not saying to tell the entire world, but your best friends- as much as I dislike them- deserve to know the truth. They'll help you get through this and comfort you much better than I can.

"Also, I'm not giving up on you, not now, not ever. I'll search for an answer, and I'll find it. It's like some muggle saying 'where there's a will there's a way.' Trust me; you **will** make it through this."

Hermione smiled shyly, her face lighting up. She hadn't had a true smile in a while. She responded, "I kind of liked that, the way you called me Hermione. Draco." The name felt silky on her tongue. "It has a nice ring to it, Draco, anyway I think we should be on a first name basis by now, we've know each other for about eight years now. Plus surnames are like totally yesterday!"

"Sorry, Hermione, you don't pull off the flight twit with no brains very well." They both laughed, their smiles reaching their eyes.

"You did a great job comforting me but you're right. I'm going to go to Harry and Ron now. Thank you so much Draco, you're a good person, you should let it show more often."

She reached over and hugged him tightly. They stayed in the embrace for a couple of minutes, and then Draco rose and offered his hand with a flourish. Hermione daintily let herself be pulled up. She curtsied with a giggle as he opened the door back to the party room and stretched out his arm with a bow to let her go in first. She took a deep breath, took one last look at Draco who smiled reassuringly, and entered the room, head held high, in search of Harry and Ron.

A/N: The reason she has melanoma is because my friend's brother just passed away from it and left behind a wife and two young children. He was diagnosed shortly after the birth of his second child and suffered for two years. Draco is based off of a very old friend of mine's brother. He acts like a jerk most of the time, but I saw his sensitive side once when his friend was going through hard times. I decided I liked that side and in the story Draco is very similar. I am marking this story as complete, but if I get enough reviews asking to continue, I might be convinced otherwise. Plus, my birthday is this sunday so reviewing would be like a very appreciated birthday present!

4/04/10: This chapter has been revised! Hopefully for the better! And still please review!


	3. Draco's Story

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling

Draco's Story

Draco waited inside the room until Hermione had pulled both Harry and Ron into a side room before he slipped back onto the porch. He leaned on the railing Hermione had just moments before held onto for support, and tried to slow the thoughts running through his head. He had originally gone out there to tease that very same girl to take his mind off things. It turned out to be more than counter-productive. That Hermione Granger was deathly ill was hard enough to believe, but in addition to that, she had confided in him! Someone better pinch him quick.

He knew he acted like a git most of the time, but that was just his style. When someone was in trouble, though, he became caring, sensitive, and strangely even likable. He clearly remembered the day Pansy's world had fallen apart. He had come back to the Slytherin common room in middle of the day after deciding that Herbology was not worth his time, and found Pansy curled up on the couch, sobbing. He had never seen her display weakness before, and his heart went out to her. He sat down next to her and soothed her, telling her that everything would be okay, though he didn't know what the problem was. After a few minutes, he asked her what was wrong- she then shoved a crinkled letter at him. It stated:

_Dear Pansy,_

_Your brother Henry was killed while attempting his Death Eater initiation task. He died serving the Dark Lord and upholding the  
family honor. Do not bother to return home for the funeral. He was weak, not to complete his mission. Nonetheless, he did not disgrace us  
and will be buried with the full honor of a Parkinson._

_-Mother and Father_

That was it, all she got about the death of her favorite brother. He skived off the rest of classes and took her to the Room of Requirement where he let her reminisce about how Henry always used to protect her. At the end of the day, Pansy commented on how, when the need arose, he was sweet and his mannerisms encouraged people to confide in him. He always knew the right thing to say.

The truth was, in order to survive his cold family, he had to hide his unusual sensitivity with biting sarcasm from an early age. It developed so that the coldness and the cruelty was almost a part of him, but he made sure to keep a check on it. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn't build a so-called 'family' like his own. He wouldn't marry unless he found love. He wouldn't agree to a business deal marriage like his mother had- he saw how miserable her life was. She, unlike his father, was at least close to human, but he wished he could have a mum, not a cold distant 'Mother.' He wanted love, warmth, and support. The closest he ever had to a parent figure was Severus Snape and now…, it was too painful to even think about. It was especially hard because in the last two years of Severus's life, Draco had pushed him away. That's why he disliked the Weasley's so much, they had everything he wanted but couldn't have. Hermione had to make use of all the love that surrounded her and take comfort from her friends. There was no reason for her to go through this solo, only loners like he dealt with everything by themselves.

Draco was really happy she was finally talking to her friends whom he knew would do everything in their power to save their friend. But that was no reason why he couldn't do some research himself. He had extensive libraries in the Malfoy Manor filled with books it shouldn't have. It all belonged to him now that his father was in Azkaban. The Wizengamot gave Father a ten year sentence, a pretty lenient ruling considering that the dementors had been relieved of their posts. Even when his time was over, though, the manor would still belong to Draco. Right now, it was just him, his mother, and the house elves in the manor and no one would notice if he spent his days in the library. There had to be a magical cure, he had depended on magic his whole life and wasn't going to let it fail him now. He was going to earn Hermione's trust and save her, even if he couldn't rescue himself.

He glanced back at the party; people finally looked happy and content. New relationships were blooming and hearts were slowly healing. He didn't belong there, at least not yet. He wavered for a moment, wondering whether or not to stay and wait for Hermione and then decided against it. She was telling her best friends, she didn't need her ex-arch enemy there. He needed to stop thinking, he was hurting too much. He disapparated with a crack to find somewhere to get really drunk.

Author's Note: I've had this written since Tuesday, but I hadn't had a chance to type it up. I probably did horribly on my report in order to write this so you better appreciate it! If you want to convince me that I should write and fail my tests this week, REVIEW! I know this chapter isn't up to par, but I felt it was necessary. Don't worry, next chapter will have Hermione in it. On a whole, I will update every weekend if possible. Enjoy and please give me your comments. Oh by the way, I didn't have chance to reply to all my reviewers, but I will try for this chapter. If you would like, my email is on my profile page, feel free anytime!


	4. Almost All is Well

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling

(Almost) All is Well

Hermione slowly crossed the room scanning for Harry and Ron. Her luck, they were talking to each other. Ron appeared to be teasing Harry about Ginny. She quietly approached them.

"Hey Hermione, we were wondering where you went. You just missed ickle Harry try to ask out a girl. Our wittle boy is growing up!" Ron exclaimed causing Harry's face to turn a shade of red to rival a Weasley's hair.

"She said yes," Harry muttered.

"Guys, I have something important to tell you," Hermione blurted out. "Follow me, I want to take you somewhere private."

The boys apprehensively followed her, wondering what she could possibly have to tell them. She led them outside of the main room and to what seemed to be a corridor with a dead end. However, when she touched the wall and muttered something, a door appeared. As it swung open to let them in, the boys made a mental note to ask her about the mysterious room, right now it just didn't seem apropos to inquire. The room was small but cozy. There was a comfy-looking couch with an overstuffed armchair facing it. There was also a fireplace blazing in the corner, the red-yellow flames giving off a friendly glow. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Harry, Ron, you better sit down for this." They obeyed warily. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long, I was just so afraid. I didn't know what you would think, how you would react. It's time that you knew. Please don't think any less of me for it! I…"

"Hermione just spit it out," interrupted Harry.

"I have cancer," she whispered.

Harry gasped and immediately jumped up. He then quickly walked over to her to envelop her in a bear hug. "Herms, you know we're here for you no matter what. We love you dearly and you can always depend on us. I just wish you would have told me sooner. Everything will be fine. I know it," he told her softly, hugging her tightly.

"It feels so good to finally let it out and tell you what's going on. I should have told you earlier, it was stupid. I needed you and I kept you out of my life I'm so sorry, I was going through a rough time and didn't know where to turn. I missed you." It felt so good to at last get the support she needed that she ignored the bruises she was sure to be receiving from such an embrace.

They stayed in the embrace until Ron cleared his throat. They turned to face him.

"Not to sound naïve or anything, but what is going on? Isn't cancer some sort of muggle symbol for the month you were born in?"

Hermione explained the disease, impressed he had even heard of the word before. Harry interjected questions every once in a while about specifics. They all sat down together on the sofa and discussed possible cures and arrangements for a schedule dictating who would accompany her to chemo when. After about an hour, the conversation turned to lighter topics; their mischievous antics in Hogwarts. They smiled, laughed, and hugged. Finally, they stood up to go home. Harry and Ron shared a three bedroom flat while Hermione had a one bedroom flat of her own.

Before they left the room, Ron grabbed Hermione's hand, looked her straight in the eye, and told her, "I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from us ever again. We're your best mates, it's our job to take care of you. That's why I think you should sleep in our flat the days you have chemotherapy. Call me sexist, but I don't like the idea of you home alone retching your guts out."

"How eloquent Ron," Hermione laughed. "Thank you though, I think I'll swallow my pride and take you up on your offer."

All was well with the Golden Trio now, or so they thought. Sitting alone in her room sobbing was Ginny. She had walked into a room to see Harry hugging Hermione (it didn't seem like a 'best friend' hug') and then quickly ran out. She though that Harry had been flirting with her and that he had asked her out to a movie as a date, not as a friend. She reasoned that she must have read too much into it because he would never be such a git as to play two girls. He was way too sweet. That eased the pain a little, but not too much. It was going to be a long night.

Author's Note: Happy Bigoted Puritan Day! This chapter is dedicated to a woman whose son's wedding was supposed to be this coming Sunday. She died of ovarian cancer this past Sunday. I have to say her children are the strongest people I have ever met. Please review, if you have nothing to say, tell me if you think there should be romance between Draco and Hermione. I will not post another chapter until I get 15 reviews!


	5. The Letter

Warning: Some strong language (skip the letter to avoid the language, it's really not important)  
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling

The Letter

After a night of drinking like he had, it was no surprise that Draco had a hell of a hangover. He was fresh out of Pepper Up potion. And his headache wasn't getting any better from poring over books about ancient healing. He had locked himself in the library and put anti-apparation spells on the room to get some peace and quiet.

None of these stupid books had information on a sickness with a remote likeness to what Hermione had described. He finally slammed what he was reading shut, releasing dust all over and sending him into a coughing fit. He needed to know more about that cancer disease. He would have to do something a Malfoy not in a Death Eater mask had never done before, step into muggle London. Maybe there was a book on it so he could learn more. And maybe he would stop off on the way at Knockturn Alley to pick up a really strong hangover potion. Nothing too illegal...

Hermione had just finished lunch with Ginny who had been strangely distant throughout the meal. She had asked her red headed friend continually if something was wrong, alarmed by the paleness of her skin and her bloodshot eyes, but Ginny had repeatedly denied that here was a problem She had originally brought her friend there to reveal her secret, but it seemed that Ginny had enough problems of her own to deal with. The truth could wait a little longer. Ginny had left early, claiming she had some business to attend to, leaving a very confused Hermione.

Hermione had to pick something up from an apothecary on Knockturn Alley. She absolutely hated to go there, even after the war the people there turned their noses up at muggleborns, but no other place had the exact ingredient she needed. She mused about Ginny's strange behavior as she strolled through London. Deep in thought, she walked straight into someone walking out of a store. She started apologizing profusely and then realized who it was.

Draco cursed scurrilously. Not only could he not locate any hangover potion, he had run into Blaise who went on and on about the injustice of the complete freedom of mudbloods these days, as if he didn't have a headache before. And now some bloody idiot doesn't watch where he's going and rams straight into him…

"Draco, what a surprise! Thanks so much for the advice, I told Harry and Ron everything and…" Hermione chattered excitedly.

"Shut up mudblood. I don't have patience for you right now. Go away quickly and I won't hex you," Draco coldly snapped without thinking. He only realized his mistake when her face fell. She gave him a heartbreaking look and then apparated away, crushed by his cruelty.

Draco bit his lip shamefaced. Him and his big mouth, how could he have been so rude to her? She probably thought Merlin knows what of him now. He didn't mean to be nasty, it was just out of habit and this cursed headache. The best thing to do now was to proceed to muggle London and try to find a book on cancer, he really owed it to her now. He would try to apologize later when she had calmed down a little. Honestly, he really didn't want to confront an angry, hurt Hermione. After all, she was the smartest witch of their year, and he didn't want to find out if her hexing skills matched her brains. Plus, when she slapped him in third year it had really hurt. He slowly trudged toward his destination, walking to punish himself for his stupidity.

Hermione couldn't believer her own stupidity. How could she trust Malfoy (he didn't deserve to be called by his first name, but she couldn't bring herself to call him ferret boy)? He had just looked like he really cared the night before when she had broken down. Now it seemed he just was a good actor. She made herself a cup of tea and decided being sad hurt much more than being angry. She felt the anger and hatred well up inside her and wanted to do something. She wanted to hurt him as badly as he had hurt her, seek revenge, but she knew she would regret it. The books that were so carefully alphabetized flew out of their shelves after receiving her venomous glare. The window shades flapped up and down out of fear. She needed an outlet for her feelings before she destroyed everything in her flat, so she decided to write him a howler. Afterwards she would decide whether or not to send it.

With one glance at a drawer, it snapped open and a quill and a parchment flew over. The ink quickly followed, too scared of the witch's temper to dare to spill a drop. Hermione had mastered wandless magic at the end of her sixth year at Hogwarts, but preferred not to use it unless she was really emotional. She grabbed the quill and began to scribble furiously.

_Dear ferret boy,_

_Is there such a thing as PMS for boys? Because you are sure acting like there is. I might be a nosy, stuck up, know-it-all mudblood, but at least I don't have multiple personality disorder. You are a horrible person and all the 'I'm there for you, Hermione' was just a load of bullshit. I actually though you were a half decent person underneath the façade of cruelness. I guess I was wrong and it's the other way around. Don't try to excuse you pathetic behavior, to whatever answer you have JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! I bared my soul to you and you poured salt on very open wounds. That's a new low even for you, Malfoy. I pity the woman who you pay enough to marry you. I'm always the calm, cool collected one who thinks everything through and makes sure nobody does anything stupid. Well you know what; I'm fucking tired of it. I can't and won't deal with all the thing I have to bear quietly like a 'good little know-it-all' should anymore. I can't bring myself to send this, but if you ever do read this, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE!_

_Yours truly,_

_Hermione Granger_

She stared at the parchment for a moment wondering if maybe it would be worth sending to Malfoy. She quickly decided against it (she didn't need anymore people who wanted to kill her) and muttered _incendio nullio_ watching as fire covered the letter but did not consume it. She then decided she wanted to keep it as a reminder and said_ nix_. The fire disappeared leaving the parchment as good as new. She pocketed the letter and with a sigh began to reorganize her books.

"May I help you, sir?" a girl asked Draco meekly. She seemed to think he was mentally unstable be cause he was scanning the titles of books like he had never heard of such topics before.

"Er, yeah. My friend was just diagnose with, er, cancer and I wanted to learn more about it so I could understand what she's going through better," Draco answered nervously, hoping he had sound muggle enough.

The girl replied, obviously relieved, "Aww! That's so sweet! What you're looking for is something informative but understandable. That would…"

The girl chattered on excitedly and Draco followed silently. He realized how off his prejudices against muggles were. They weren't so different, this woman was so happy to assist someone who was helping out a friend. Mudblood was such an obnoxious thing to call someone and truly a horrible term. He purchased two books, thanked her for her help, and left wondering what else he was wrong about. Boy did he have a lot of apologizing to do.

Author's Note: I wrote a long chapter, happy? For those of you that skipped the letter all it said was that she thought he was a git and that she couldn't take being the resposible one anymore. I hope you like how this story is progressing, I'm working to get the next chapter out soon. If you notice, I didn't wait for my 15 reviews, but I really would appreciate if you would tell me your thoughts. My question of the chapter is would you like romance between Ron and Hermione, it doesn't have to be _instead_ of Draco/Hermione. Enjoy!


	6. A Quiet Breakfast

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling

Dedication: To my friend and in memory of her mother who just passed way from cancer.

**REVISED!**

A Quiet Breakfast

Hermione studied herself in the mirror and tried to determine if she looked presentable or not. She knew it was silly but she always tidied up for chemotherapy. She felt that she had to face the enemy as a soldier prepared for war. Tracing the dark circles under her eyes with her fingers, she tried to recall a time when she didn't look that tired.

Then she laughed. She probably hadn't been well rested since the start of the summer after fifth year. Still smiling at her crazy memories of Hogwarts, she heard a pecking at the window. She opened the window to find an owl with an expensive, miniature box of chocolate and a note attached to his leg. She sighed, already knowing who it was from, but opened the note anyway:

_Give me another chance._

_-Draco_

_P.S. As soon as you touch the box of chocolates, they will return to their normal size._

Ever since that infamous day two weeks ago, Draco had been sending all different types of presents, varying from a stuffed teddy bear to a book on arithmancy. (How did he know it was her favorite subject?). Every single gift was sent back for the same, simple reason. He never apologized. Not a single 'I'm sorry' or 'I was wrong', he just wrote notes and sent presents like a politician who doesn't believe he did anything wrong, but needs to keep things on friendly terms.

Hermione burnt the note, retied the chocolates to the owl's leg, gave it a treat, and sent it off with the instructions to return the box to his master. It hooted happily and flew away. Just then she heard a 'pop' and the doorbell rang. She hurriedly opened the door to let Harry in.

"I'm actually on time for the first time in my life." She gave him a big smile. "I want to take you out for a nice leisurely breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron before we have to go to our real destination. We haven't had time to talk in a long time. Are you ready to go?" asked Harry.

"Just a minute, let me grab my cloak and we'll be out of here," Hermione replied.

They apparated away and walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Tom directed them to a table in the corner of the pub and they ordered. The entire time, Harry kept drilling his fingers on the table and tapping his foot. When they were alone, Hermione looked expectantly at him.

"I can tell something's bothering you, Harry. You can hardly sit still. What's going on?"

"Well, honestly, it's about Ginny. I was wondering if you knew what was wrong with her."

Hermione frowned. If Harry also noticed, maybe something really was bothering Ginny. Could she also be sick? Hermione tried to calm her suddenly racing heart and tell herself that she was overreacting. Harry detected Hermione's distraction but she waved him on and he chose to continue.

"Two nights ago I took her out to a movie, something she told me she loves. I even took her to a chic flic! She would hardly look at me the entire night, and when I asked her what the matter was, she almost started crying! She told me I was just too sweet. What the hell does that mean, I'm 'too sweet'? I thought that girls wanted sensitive, caring men. I finally don't have a mad wizard bent on killing me and my life still isn't simple!" Harry was completely bemused.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said slowly, "but maybe Ginny doesn't want to get too close to you because she is afraid you'll break it off again because of the 'tragic hero' thing. Try to- wait!"

Just at that moment, Hermione noticed a girl with flaming red hair appear in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Speaking of the devil! Ginny, come over here!"

Ginny's head snapped up like a deer caught in the headlights as Harry spun around. He gave her a broad smile and unconsciously tried to smooth his unruly hair. She walked over to them as if in a trance and her feet were moving against her will. When she reached them, she took a deep breath and launched into a monologue.

"It's really great that you two are finally together." Harry and Hermione exchanged confused glances but Ginny didn't give them a chance to interrupt. "I hope you make each other happy, and if you do, I'm truly happy for you. Harry, I'm sorry if I acted too presumptuous at the party, you too Hermione.

"I just," her breath hitched and Harry looked like he wanted to leap out of his chair and wrap his arms around her but he was too frozen with shock, "I just didn't realize you guys were an item. I guess I was blind. Take good care of him, Hermione, he deserves the best. I, I gotta go," Ginny whispered, trying unsuccessfully to keep her sobs in check. She started to run out.

"Ginny wait!" Hermione shouted. "Harry and I…"

"I'm happy for you, I really am. I'll see you around." Ginny gave Harry one last longing glance and apparated away, just escaping Hermione's grasp.

Harry and Hermione just stared at each other. Both were too shocked to do anything for a while.

"Well, I guess we found out what was wrong with Ginny," she sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Why would she think I was going out with **you?** No offence or anything," she added quickly but Harry shook it off.

Suddenly Harry pounded the table in frustration attracting attention from the other patrons which he ignored. "Why didn't I stop her!" He raised his fist again but Hermione caught it this time and signaled to him that others were watching. He withdrew his hand quickly but took heed of his audience and whispered desperately, "I've got to find her. I've got to fix this."

Hermione nodded. Poor Ginny. Poor Harry. She didn't want to cause her friends any trouble.

Harry began to stand up but then plopped down again. "No, I can't go. I promised you that I would come to your appointment with you."

"It's really fine. This is more important. Just go," she commanded.

"As much as I want to run after her, we can't- at least not yet. She has to cool off a little, and we don't even know where she went. I doubt that she went back to the Burrow, I love Mrs. Weasley like the mother I never knew, but she's not the best person to be near when you have something you don't want to talk about. Remember when she tried to find out about the Horcruxes?"

He failed to mention the real reason he wasn't going. Her health was more important than his relationship and he knew Ginny would agree. Well, she would if she knew the truth. And she would soon, but first Hermione needed to finish eating so she would have strength for the draining chemotherapy session looming ahead.

He decided, "I'll speak to her soon, but now we should finish up so we're not late to your appointment."

Hermione nodded unhappily. They wolfed down their food with decidedly less gusto than when they had come.

As if Hermione didn't have enough on her plate already, who else chose that precise moment to enter the Leaky Cauldron besides for his royal jerkness himself, Draco Malfoy.

She tensed the moment she caught sight of him. "Harry, let's go! Please let's go, before he spots us," she begged. When Harry failed to immediately react, she cried out "Merlin, stop stuffing your face and come on!"

"Whoa, calm down! Whose 'he' and why are we avoiding him?" Following her line of vision to find the source of her distress, he saw who had just walked in. "Wait- are you talking about Malfoy? We don't have to leave because of him. He's really not so bad anymore if you give him a chance," Harry said sagely.

She never had a chance to explain her sudden need to leave because Draco spotted them and walked over to their table. Hermione fixed him with a glare. "Speak ferret boy before I decide to try out a new jinx I just read about. How would you like purple hair and green fangs for- hmm- for until I found the counter-jinx? I'm not even sure one exists." Harry raised his eyebrow at her uncharacteristic behavior but she ignored him. "Ah well, it would probably be an improvement. Anyway," she smiled patronizingly, "what was that you were going to say?"

"Look Hermione…" Draco started but she didn't give him a chance.

"So now we're back on first name basis. I specifically remember you endearingly calling me something much more," she put heavy emphasis on the last word, "friendly. What it was I just can't recall. Maybe you could help me out **Draco**." Her attack was relentless. "My bad breeding probably caused this lapse in memory. You must remember, after all, I was always second best to you, wasn't I?" Hermione whispered dangerously.

Harry very wisely recognized that statement as the quiet before the storm and took this moment to erect a very strong silencing charm surrounding the three of them. He had know idea what he had just stumbled into, but he knew it was about to get messy.

"Just listen to me," Draco pleaded. "It was a slip of the tongue, not a representation of how I feel. Why won't you just put it behind us? People make mistakes!"

"Why don't I 'just put it behind us'?" she sputtered with rage. Draco took a step back out of fear of the outburst that was about to occur. "Why, I'll tell you why! I know very well that nobody's perfect, least of all you, but not once, no not once did you apologize. Have you ever heard of 'sorry'? Oh I'm **sorry**, maybe it's a **mudblood** thing," she spat and he winced visibly. "I can't say all's well, just skipping through a dandelion field, and say apology accepted if there never was an apology!"

"I sent loads of presents, you just never accepted them!" Draco cried out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry oh-great-and-wonderful ferret boy! I didn't mean to insult his royal purebloodedness." Her voice turned venomous and she took a step forward with every statement. "I don't need your presents, I want you to recognize that what you said was mean and hurtful and I want you to admit it. That name really hurts, it makes me feel inferior, and especially after I spilled my heart out to you. It was kind of like a stab in the back. In all those little notes you made it sound like you did nothing wrong, but you just needed to make sure I wouldn't hex your arse off."

She was standing directly in front of Draco who was backed against a table. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. That is, as long as you get out of my line of vision right now and I don't have to lay eyes on you for, say, the next century. For your sake, I hope that's long enough," Hermione spat.

Draco pleaded, "Don't be like that Hermione. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then apologize! Dammit Draco, just say that you're sorry!"

"I wasn't brought up that way, it's really hard to change how you lived your life for nineteen years." Hermione's glare was unrelenting. "Fine, I'm… I'm…" he stuttered but no apology was forthcoming.

Tapping her foot impatiently, she smirked. "Just what I thought, how typically Slytherin of you; all slime and no courage. Come on Harry, I believe that we are late for a very important appointment."

And without a second glance, they apparated away, leaving a very distraught Draco.

Author's Note: Do you know how long that took to type up and proofread? I was reading through the last couple chapters and realized that there wasn't enough action recently, I didn't want people to stop reading out of boredom! If you noticed, I decided to post even though I got only five reviews. However, you should also take note that I update a lot faster when I get more reviews. It took me a whole month to write down this chapter for lack of motivation. On a pratical note, I'm changing the genre from Angst/Suspense to Angst/ Friendship because I think it is more appropriate.


	7. The Doctor's Verdict

The Doctor's Verdict

Harry and Hermione walked to a safe apparation point from the hospital in silence

Harry and Hermione walked to a safe apparation point from the hospital in silence. The words of the doctor rang in their ears even as they arrived at the flat that Ron and Harry shared. With the sound of the door opening, Ron jovially called out from the kitchen,

"Hey mates! Come on in, I made sausages and eggs to-" Ron stopped short as he saw the depressed look on Harry and Hermione's faces. "Bloody hell! What happened? You look like you just saw Death himself.

This apparently was the wrong thing to say because both Harry and Hermione choked when they heard the word "death". Hermione was the brave one to tell over the painful words of the doctor.

--

"Aahh, Ms. Hermione Granger, how's my favorite patient doing today? I see you brought a friend, nice to meet you," the oncology doctor chatted conversationally. "I imagine you're quite anxious to get this over with, but let me see the results of those test you just went through. Let's see... oh, oh my! Ms. Granger, umm... Hermione, you better sit down. Listen, I'm not going to draw it out painfully, I'll be straightforward. The cancer is spreading dangerously. The last round of chemo didn't take. Whatever it was that was mysteriously checking the disease from moving to other parts of your body and keeping you alive when you skipped treatment for months has given way. I don't like to give death sentences, however, if you don't find that obscure cure you were alluding to soon, I, well... I don't know how much time you have to locate it.

"To be extremely blunt, it looks like you have two months to live without chemotherapy and four months with. Two months should be enough to settle your affairs and you will avoid drawing out the pain unnecessarily. It is obviously your decision, but do you want to go through the torture of chemo for just another two months of life? I completely understand if you want to cancel today's therapy. Good day and I am truly sorry, I wish it wasn't so," he finished apologetically."

Hermione didn't miss a beat. "Wait Dr. Schroeder!" she called out as he began to walk out. "I'm not canceling my appointment. Every moment of life is precious and I'm going to cherish every bit of it. Plus, I'm not giving up hope yet, so let's continue the fight!"

However, she had the next four hours of pain to rethink her decision and let the news sink in, and although she didn't let it show, she wasn't so sure she was making the right decision anymore. Harry was beside himself with worry and confusion. This couldn't be happening again, losing someone special to him. Hadn't he had his share of pain yet?

--

Ron was shocked; this was not what he had expected to hear. After the war was over, he had decided to become an unspeakable; the Department of Mysteries had really intrigued him. He had been supposedly working overtime ever since he was informed about 'Hermione's condition'. In truth, he was researching how it would be possible for a magical being to get a disease such as cancer. Although many muggleborns have the chemical makeup for such a malformed cell that would rapidly multiply, the presence of the so to speak magical 'gene' combats the wrong instruction that causes a cancerous cell or, the eventual outcome, a tumor. So far he had been unsuccessful in his search, but he thought that there would be more time. Four bloody months, he mused bitterly. That was all he had not only to find out how this fluke occurred but to also fix the problem. His boss, Bradshall Teulmah, was Crouch Sr. reincarnate but even he gave more reasonable deadlines. What he needed was time, curse the Ministry for searching for and destroying every single bloody Time Turner. If only Hermione had told them earlier.

They ate the late lunch together even though no one was really hungry to spare Ron's feelings. The silence was only broken when, in an attempt to release the tension, Harry spelled a music player to play Hermione's favorite song. Hermione immediately jumped up.

"Shut it off quickly, please!" Hermione cried.

Startled, Harry immediately complied. "Why, what's wrong? I thought that _Love Song_ was your favorite song!"

Hermione calmed down and then explained, "It is and I want it to stay that way. That's why I don't want to listen to it. If I hear it right after chemo, from now on I'll get nauseated every time I listen to it again. _You and Me_ is spoiled forever for me because I made the mistake of listening to it after a session when I was quite sick. Sorry for reacting like I did, I just like that song a lot. The whole thing's just annoying because music is so calming and I can't listen when I need it the most.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to lie down. You can wake me up for dinner but I doubt I'll be hungry. It's late and we just finished eating. Plus, I'll probably be nauseous. Thanks Ron for that delicious lunch. Thanks so much to both of you for letting me stay with you, I really appreciate it."

The boys wished her a goodnight and told her that if she needed anything she should just ask. Hermione thanked them again and headed off to the guest bedroom.

At around eight o'clock, Harry poked his head into her room and found her propped on her headboard doing paperwork. After Voldemort was defeated, many Death Eaters claimed that they had been imperiused into joining the Dark side. While for some it was an almost laughable excuse, there were those who were innocent, like Stan Shunpike. Hermione had dedicated herself to finding the truth. She was very talented at her job, but the more people she had enough evidence to accuse or acquit, the more paperwork she had to fill out for legality sake.

Harry leaned on the doorway and playfully accused, "I thought you were supposed to be resting."

She looked up, embarrassed to be caught in the act, "I know, but I saw these papers lying around and..." she trailed off sheepishly. "Oh alright, I'm a workaholic, but this relaxes me!"

He chuckled. "All right, Ms. Professional, but will you grace us lazy underlings with your presence for supper?"

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly then laughed ad followed him out the door. Ron looked up when heard them enter, very relieved to see Hermione up and moving. They sat down to eat with decidedly less tension than there had been the previous meal. You could almost forget that one of the them was going to die, almost. Ron watched Hermione carefully to make sure she ate. She ate lightly but enough to satisfy him that she wasn't starving herself. After the three friends finished, they went to the sitting room. Hermione continued working on her paperwork, but Harry and Ron had charmed the covers of Strange and Terrible Diseases and Curing the Incurable, respectively, to look like quidditch paraphernalia. They certainly weren't giving up!

A couple of hours later, they all decided to turn in. Well Harry and Ron did, and they imposed their views on Hermione. They let her finish one last file and then dragged her yawning to bed.

They tucked her in comfortably, ruffled her hair affectionately, and then Ron dug into his pocket for his Deluminator to shut off the lights. Hermione called out to stop him before he flicked the switch.

"Harry, do you think I was too harsh on Malfoy?"

'Sorry', a simple, two syllable word. A simple, two syllable word that he just could say! He, with his extensive vocabulary and surpassing intellect, couldn't spit out the damn word. It wasn't that Draco wasn't remorseful, he was, very much so at that. And to anyone not raised in a family with the status of the Malfoys, the problem was incomprehensible. His friends Gregory and Blaise would never have understood why this inability to apologize bothered him so much. After all, she was only a muggle-mud-_muggle_born.

Draco wasn't confused by his own distress over upsetting Hermione. It was simple, he respected people with courage: courage to stand up for your beliefs and your loved ones and courage to confront your enemies, friends and, most importantly, yourself. He admired all those who stood up for what they believed in when the Dark Lord had his reign of terror at great personal risk. Many fell in the pursuit of justice but their cause persevered. Unlike Draco who still couldn't utter the Dark Lord's name! Cowards like himself didn't deserve to enjoy the freedom. He was deeply ashamed by his actions during the Final Battle; while he was trying to save his own skin, the Golden Trio was protecting Wizarding kind.

Yes , he even respected Potter and Weasley, they deserved it. But Hermione... why couldn't he just give her her damned apology!

Harry studied her careful, "Did what he do really hurt you? Do you truly expect better of him?"

It never had bothered her this much before when he had insulted her personally, only when he dared to hurt her precious lackeys. It was usually Weasel who would fly off the handle when Draco called her a mudblood. Then it hit him, the answer had been in her eyes. She was...

Hermione bit her lip in concentration and ruminated before answering, "Yes, yes I did. I know I never told you what transpired between us, but I thought I had discovered the good side of him. When he proved me wrong, I was just, and I shouldn't be, but I still am..."

Disappointed. That was the explanation for Hermione's strange behavior. No one, with the exception of Severus, had ever thought enough of him to be disappointed in him, displeased definitely but never disappointed. The one person (alive) who had faith in him, and he manages to hurt her.

Harry doubled back to give Hermione a kiss on the top of her head. "Your faith in humanity is admirable. I trust your judgment to the empth degree, so if what Malfoy did really hurt you and you think he has the capability to be better, then your reaction was perfect. Trust yourself, alright?" he finished sincerely.

No, Draco was not going to lose someone like that. In need be, he would make a complete fool of himself. Alert the media, a Malfoy was going to apologize and he was going to do it right.

"Thanks." Hermione smiled. "You too Ron, I appreciate being allowed to stay here, I don't feel half as nauseous as usual. Good night!"

"I'm a bit lost in this conversation, but I completely agree with whatever Harry said. He usually knows what he's talking about, especially with complimenting!" Ron joked and then turned off the lights.

Draco grabbed his cloak and apparated off in search of Hermione's flat.

Hermione was sleeping peacefully in a matter of minutes.

Author's Note: I'm a terrible person! I received a record high number of reviews and it takes me three months to update! My sincerest apologies, this story is being published as it is written and school has really picked up so I'm short on time. I recently realized my chapters are really short so I hope this is long enough to satisfy you. The reviews are unbelievably appreciated and they really do encourage me to continue writing. Most of things I write about cancer are from people I know who have it and if you want to hear the stories, just ask me. I really do try to reply to each review, but if I don't, it doesn't mean that it doesn't make my day. I can't promise you the next chapter within April, but I will update around the middle of May if I don't develop writers' block. If it takes me longer than that, feel free to yell at me, I need the push. Thank you for your support!

_Love Song_ is by Sara (I can't spell her name but it's something like Barelli)  
_You and Me_ is by Lifehouse


	8. A Romantic Meeting Place

A Romantic Meeting Place

A Romantic Meeting Place

Hundreds of doors, they all look the same. Which one to pick, where are we heading, where did we come from? Of course, something to mark the doors we've already gone through! Brilliant Herm-

A noise woke Ron with a start. What had he been dreaming of? It had seemed so very familiar as if he had seen it before. Then he heard the noise again, what, he wondered could it be? It sounded like muffled crying. He jumped out of bed, thinking that something must be wrong. He threw on a pair of pants, not bothering with a shirt, and quickly tiptoed towards the source of the noise, being careful not to wake Harry. The noise seemed to becoming from the bathroom…

She woke up sweating, how foolish she had been to assume that she could escape the nausea. Hermione crawled out of bed and ran to the loo as quietly as she could without being sick all over the floor. She barely made it and threw up right into the toilet over and over again. She felt so sick; she wished her mother was there. Mum made everything better. All this torture for two extra months of so-to-speak "good health," was the treatment really worth it? How could one live like this?" There just wasn't enough time. Not only did they have to find out what was wrong in four months, they also had to find a cure! No, she couldn't think like that. The nausea was abating, the pain would end soon.

Hermione stood up, washed her face, looked into the mirror, and grimaced. Her hair was a real mess. Gingerly pulling the rubber band out of her hair, she noticed something didn't feel right. When the rubber band was successfully extracted, she ran her hand through her hair then stared at her hand in horror. It couldn't be happening, no, no way! It must be a fluke; feverishly she ran her hand though her hair again with the same results.

"No!" she softly cried out, trying not to scream. "No, no. It can't be. I thought, I thought at least this part of me was safe!"

Sliding to the floor, Hermione dissolved into tears. Alone she sat against the wall, curled into a ball, rocking and crying and staring in horror at the locks of hair that were now clutched in her grasp instead of in their rightful place on her head.

Upon finding the source of the noise, Ron was completely unprepared for the image he was confronted by. On the floor sat Hermione hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing with her hair shrouding her face. He felt like a knife had been stabbed into his heart. Dear Merlin, what should he do? As opposed to being the one to offer comforting words, Ron was usually the cause of her distress. Hermione had once gone as far as claiming that he had "the emotional range of a teaspoon." While believing that he was not as hopeless as that, he did not want to go over to Hermione and make her more upset than she already was.

Ron lingered in indecision by the doorway, half-hidden in the shadows with his arms folded across his bare chest. Hermione rocked back and forth, deep sobs emanating from her that broke his heart. He stood there for what felt like ages until she abruptly released her knees and pulled herself up, giving him and opportunity for the first time to realize that something brown was grasped in her hand. All curious thoughts were quickly dispelled when Hermione leaned over the toilet, vomiting. His lack of confidence was thrust aside as he crossed the room quickly with long strides to assist his friend.

Holding back her hair, Ron whispered soothing words as Hermione retched and cried uncontrollably. When the wave of nausea passed, she fell limp, all worn out. Ron gathered her into his arms and gently sat down placing Hermione next to him. She leaned into him, seemingly out of tears, as he placed one arm around her.

He pulled her closer and asked, "Hermione, what's wrong? Can I help?"

Well maybe she had some extra tears stored somewhere because with that question she burst into sobs while she tried, unintelligibly, to explain. If Ron had not been so worried, he would've found it amusing that his perfectly poised, know it all friend was not making any sense. The only words he could make out were "worth it," "hair", and "mum." Try as he might, he could not find a common thread between those words.

In another brave attempt, Ron probed again, "I know this is nothing new here, but I don't understand a word you're saying. And this time, it might not even be because of my stupidity. So Hermione, please start again."

This time Hermione was more understandable. With careful listening, Ron was able to make out, "I feel sick and nauseous and I hate chemo. I don't even think it's worth it, I'm doomed anyway. And the worst part is now, now…"

"Now what?" pushed Ron, afraid of what new horrors would come out of her mouth now.

"Now I'm losing my hair!" Hermione wailed. "Look," she sat up straight and shoved the hair that had fallen out in his face. "Everything's over and, and…" she looked down and whispered, "I want my mum.

Ron was unsure of what his reaction was supposed to be. He was slightly relieved that the climax of Hermione's problems was hair loss and not something much worse but was confused by her great distress. Sure he knew that Hermione was a girl, he had been ever so helpfully reminded in fourth year plus his body knew it too judging from his reaction to holding her against his bare chest, but she was way too logical to have a breakdown over her looks. She always complained that her hair was unmanageable anyway. Being clueless as usual, Ron didn't realize that it all had a deeper meaning.

Hermione noticed his confusion and sighed, good ol' clueless Ron. At least he had gained some tact, in the old days he probably would've blurted out "so?" Vanity was not what had sent her over the edge, although she did love her hair. It was what it all symbolized. Originally, her magic had saved her from the trauma of having her hair fall out. The loss of this protection was cold, hard proof that her magic and her body were giving up on her. Running her hand through her hair and pulling out locks made her go and face reality; she was dying and Hermione Granger was not ready to go.

"Let me try to explain. Imagine if you knew something bad was going to happen, but you had one sign of hope, just one sign, that told you the opposite. And then one day, that ray of sunshine disappears leaving you alone in darkness with nothing to dissuade you from the truth; that thing you feared is happening with nothing to stop it. Can you figure out the connection? My hair held out all this time and now…" Hermione drifted off, clearly pained.

Wordlessly Ron gathered her into a hug and just held her allowing him to show his understanding and compassion without having to try to verbally express it. Then, after a couple minutes, he broke the silence, "Hermione don't give up hope. In order to give your body a proper chance, you have to be less morbid. I mean, I know you have a good reason to worry, but that doesn't mean you should. We, Harry and I that is, are doing the best we can to help you, and if we can't stop this madness then," with that his voice broke, for the first time allowing Hermione to see how much everything was affecting him, "then there's no point worrying, it won't a change a thing."

He then attempted a smile and held her far enough away from him that he could see her face. "Now what's this about missing your mum? Just go visit her; your parents don't live that far away. We can go there tomorrow. I'll come with you."

Looking away, Hermione mumbled, "We can't."

"Why not?" Ron demanded. "I can take a day off from work and so can you. Or, if you really want we can go after work." She continued to shake her head. Ron continued, "Hold on, come to think of it I haven't seen either of your parents or heard that you were with them in a long time, a very long time. Hermione, what's going on? Where are they? Tell me right now!"

She told him, he didn't' like it.

Author's note: So here it is! I think that's a pretty action packed chapter to make up for the delay. Don't kill me for the cliffhanger, I haven't done one in ages if I've done one at all this whole story. Maybe this will convince more people to review. On the last chapter, I only got six reviews! Keep giving feedback, it makes me write faster. The next chapter will be coming out as soon as I find one of the _Harry Potter_ books that I just **cannot** locate to check something up. Hopefully, the next chapter will come out much quicker than this one.


	9. The Search for the Found

The Search for the Found

"What!" Ron yelled, "I just don't believe you!"

Hermione winced. "Ron, please lower your voice. You'll wake up Harry," she pleaded.

"I don't bloody care if I wake the dead! You better have a bloody good reason for this stupidity!"

"Honestly Ron, calm down. It's not such a big deal if you would just stop shout-" Her efforts for Harry's slumber were proven futile by his appearance at the door.

"I heard Ron's dulcet tones," commented Harry while trying to shake the slumber from his eyes, "so I decided to come check out the story before he does something extremely stupid. What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened!" Ron jumped up and raged. "Remember how Hermione obliviated her parents and sent them off to Antarctica or whatever it's called to protect them from Vold-Voldemort?" Harry nodded mutely. "Well, she never brought them home!"

Harry's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and Hermione shrank against the wall. "Why?" he quietly asked, his near whisper scaring her more than his yells would have.

"There's a method to the madness, I assure you," Hermione promised. "Just breathe, you're scaring me. Alright, how do I start?"

"The truth for once would be a good idea," Harry said dangerously.

"Alright then, if you recall, part of the reason I altered my parents memories, besides for their safety, was to spare them the pain of losing a daughter if I, you know, didn't make it. So when the war was over and I was going to bring them home, I thought that in all likelihood I was still going to die. If I really wanted to protect my parents, it would make no sense to put them through a tearful reunion just to kick the bucket within the year.

"It all sounds very logical doesn't it? I know, I know, stop looking at me like that. I can tell you think it's stupid but I stand by my reasoning." She took a deep breath and hesitated before continuing meekly, "I just miss them. I'm so used to their support that it's hard to get through difficult times without it. Please don't yell at me."

Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Harry got the words out first, "Ron, shut up before you say something stupid. Sorry mate, most things regarding Hermione that come out of your mouth before you've had a chance to cool down are pretty tactless. And you look like a fish when you open and close your mouth like that.

"Hermione, I'm not going to lecture you with 'you're not going to die because we won't let you' like Ron was about to. We've tried to assure you of that many times and I think we all know the odds of you surviving. I'll also tell you that I understand why you did what you did; I know the feeling of needing to shoulder the world's burdens and protect others. However, your parents have a right to be there with you for good or for bad. Let's say we can't find a cure, would you really want never to see them again? Do you know how much I wish I could have the same parents you're leaving out of you life? I'm not trying to turn this into a Potter-pity-fest, but I'm begging you: don't do this to yourself, bring them home." He began to blush with the realization of how much he had just said.

"May I speak now?" Ron asked with a glare at Harry who nodded. "First of all, Harry, you're a git. Thank you, what I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that in fifth year when my Dad was bitten by that snake I thought- it was like my world came crashing down. And when we lost, we lost… damn, I gotta say it! We lost Fred, well, yeah. No matter how much my family embarrasses me and drives me crazy, I need them and I know you need yours. If you need support, I'll come with you to Australia or wherever you stuck your parents and bring them home.

Silence reigned for a little bit, Harry and Hermione were unsure of what to say. The issue of Fred's death had been taboo; even between best of friends some topics are better left alone. After the funeral Ron had disappeared without a trace. When he returned two weeks later, he was battered and unshaven. No one knew where he had gone and after even Mrs. Weasley couldn't get answers out of him, everyone decided to treat the incident as if it had never occurred.

The friends were saved from the awkwardness of the situation by a loud, incessant knocking at the door. They each looked up startled, wondering who could be visiting this late (or early). Ron got up to get the door while Harry and Hermione followed a few steps behind.

He grabbed his wand off a desk and then opened the door suddenly, wand at the ready. He peered outside, recognized the figure, said "Oh, it's just you," and promptly shut the door.

Hermione gasped. "Ronald! How could you do that? It's so rude!" She quickly reopened the door and saw Draco Malfoy who smiled weakly at her. "Oh, never mind!" she said, and for the second time that night Draco had a door slammed in his face.

"Wait!" he cried, "Wait, I'm- I'm sorry!" Hermione froze.

After the night he just had, Draco was not letting a slammed door stop him from apologizing to Hermione.

The decision to apologize earlier on that night was followed by the realization that he had no idea where she lived. So Draco snuck into the Ministry and went through the records of the employees involved in criminal investigation. Once he finally located the address of her flat, he discovered that it was not connected to the Floo Network and since he had never been there before, Draco had to take the dreaded Knight Bus. He got off it shuddering. If Malfoys got nauseous…

When no one answered the door, the next hour was spent attempting to dismantle Hermione's many wards. He whistled appreciatively at one particularly nasty hex that would've gotten him if he would have attempted to break the window. When he thought that he'd removed all of the window wards, he muttered 'Alohamora' and smirked a he lifted the latch. Ha, he had finally bested- damn! He quickly silenced the caterwauling charm that would've given Hermione plenty of notice for intruders. Much more cautiously, Draco stepped through the window.

Dismantling booby traps with each step, Draco called out, "C'mon Hermione, just talk to me! I know you're in here and if you weren't awake before, your alarm system took care of that." Still there was no answer. He began to search for her.

He knocked on her bedroom door but there was no answer. He carefully opened the door, waiting for the hex that never came because the room was devoid of any inhabitants. Having searched the rest of the flat, Draco's heart sped up. Where could Hermione be?

Searching for a clue, he discovered a note on her dresser. It was- addressed to him? It read: "Dear Ferret boy, Is there such a thing as PMS for boys?" Draco scanned the rest of the letter and gulped, boy was he in trouble! He still, however, was clueless about the whereabouts of Hermione Granger. Very concerned for both her and his own well being, he set off again on his search.

After an hour and a half of desperate searching, Draco realized that he needed help. And as much as he was loath to do so, he was going to have to pay a visit to Potty and Weasel.

The different approaches of how to convince them to listen to him ran through his mind as he pounded on the door, only half aware of the late hour. When Ron opened the door, Draco quickly opened his mouth but the Weasel had shut the door before he had a chance to speak. But wait! What was that? It sounded like the voice of- when he saw Hermione all he could manage was a weak smile. But then, to his surprise, he found himself once again looking at a locked door.

Hermione's reaction to him was an ice cold reminder of why he had started looking for her in the first place. "Wait!" he cried out. Now was the time to apologize, now or never. "Wait, I'm- I'm sorry!"

Would it be enough or was it too late to salvage any chance he had at a friendship?

Author's Note: I'm sorry! This was not supposed to be a cliffhanger! This was supposed to an informative, long chapter! Unfortunately, I needed to get the chapter out by tonight because I'm leaving early tomorrow morning and I was not leaving for three weeks without internet access and leave you guys with a cliffhanger! Then, I ran out of time. So I hope no one lynches me and this satisfies you slightly. If when I come back I find lots of reviews, I will update very quickly. Of course, I'll probably do that anyway because I feel immensely guilty, but I'd really appreciate your feedback.  
Thank you to all my reviewers and my silent readers for putting up with my non-updates! I really am writing constantly.


	10. Sleep Talking and Nose Jobs

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. If I did this for a living I'd be broke!

**Sleep Talking and Nose Jobs**

The door opened a crack.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry!" I made a big stupid mistake! I was a bloody git to call you that despicable word," Draco rushed, barely pausing to catch a breath. "I will say in my defense that I was feeling under the weather, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I didn't apologize right away. When I found your house deserted, all these thoughts started running through my head. Did something happen to her? Is she alright?"

The door opened wider.

"You must have been really desperate to come here." Hermione remarked drily. "You'd be a fool to expect a warm welcome."

"I was and I didn't. Am I forgiven?" Draco stepped up hopefully.

"Oh, come in," she sighed and swung the door open to admit him. He breathed a sigh of relief but hesitated before he stepped in.

"I know I'm really pushing my luck here, but I must ask this. Am I supposed to be nice all the time? Meaning no more sarcastic comebacks?"

She laughed, "I guess that would be unfair of me to ask from you considering I can hardly refrain from insulting you myself. So the answer is no, just don't be cruel, okay?"

"Sounds fair," he smiled and finally entered only to stiffen when he saw who waited behind Hermione.

"Potter, Weasley," he said, nodding curtly to each. When they didn't stop glaring at him, he threw a look to Hermione as if to say 'do I have to be nice to them too?'

Hermione stepped on Harry's foot and elbowed Ron, hard, producing a yelp of pain from both of them. "Play nicely children," she demanded. Her brow furrowed in concentration. "I think we need to inform Draco of our latest 'deadline'. Come sit down and we'll talk. I'll put up a pot of tea and if the little boys are done being immature, they can join us. If not, they can go off to bed; it's way past their wittle bedtime." She led the way into the kitchen with Draco following closely.

Ron turned to Harry and muttered, "I really do resent that. Coming?"

Harry sighed, "Lead the way."

"So…" Draco began once seated in a kitchen chair, "what's this about a deadline?"

Hermione, just turning on the fire beneath the kettle, momentarily froze while Harry and Ron clenched their fists in unison. "Why don't we wait until the water is ready to begin that talk? I think we all need some chamomile," she joked trying to lighten the mood unsuccessfully, "Let's all sit down in the meantime."

The tension in the room was palpable as they waited. At the kettle's shrill whistle, Hermione nearly knocked over her chair jumping to get it. They each were settled with a cup of tea when she once again recounted her dreadful appointment with the doctor.

----------------------------------------------

Draco did not take to the deadline too well. "Four bloody months! That's it?" he asked incredulously. "But that's not enough time to- I mean it's an awfully short amount of time to find both the cause and the cure!" He paused. "You are continuing with treatment, right? You can't give up!"

Ron stood up, "Of course she isn't giving up! She knows her _real_ friends will find a cure. But a Death Eater like you wouldn't understand things like bravery or loyalty." Draco turned white. "Why are you even here, ferret? Hermione didn't seem to be happy to see your ugly face when you arrived. I don't know what slimy evil plot you've got up your sleeve by pretending to care, but I'm not falling for it. Get out of my flat before I find some way to make a father son reunion at Azkaban.

Several things then happened at once: Draco shot up to face Ron, wand pointing into his chest, Harry quickly uttered a shield charm, and Hermione yelled "Ronald Weasley!". Suddenly Draco dropped his wand and turned to Hermione instead.

"He's right about a couple things. I was a death eater and that was a result of my cowardice," he raised his hand to halt Hermione's defense. "Don't, it's true. I've also never felt real loyalty to anyone before. However Hermione, I can promise, no swear that this isn't a trick and that I really do care." He looked earnestly at her.

She smiled at him and then turned to Ron. "Ron that was completely uncalled for and exceptionally rude."

He continued to glare murderously and spat back, "Don't you remember who this is? It's the bouncing ferret who called you mudblood, made our lives miserable. For Merlin's sake he's the son of Lucius Malfoy; one of Voldemort's most loyal servants! There's a reason he was Snape's lapdog; like goes with like. They're both dark, slimy, cowardly gits who-" He was suddenly cut off by the wand directly under his nose.

"Say whatever you want about me and insult my father to your heart's content, he's not someone I look up to; although I doubt you could've stood up to the amount of pressure he was under, but do not, I repeat do not ever insult Severus Snape in my presence!" He lowered his voice dangerously, "He was a far better man than you'll ever be."

With that curses should have started flying. Instead only one hex was successfully sent. "Very cleverly placed shield charm, Harry, and great quick thinking to throw that Full Body Bind jinx," Hermione calmly said. He nodded absently focusing most of his energy on making sure neither captive escaped. Normally it would have taken minimum concentration but in his exhausted state, keeping his eyes focused was difficult. "Now boys, Harry will let you up in approximately thirty seconds when I expect you both to sit down in your seats and finish your tea."

When in control of their limbs again, the two men quickly jumped off the floor and sat down by the table as far from each other as possible. "Good," she continued, "now I have a question on your comment about your father. I understood what you said about Professor Snape, his sacrifices and acts of bravery for the good of all mankind are awe-inspiring," she surreptitiously wiped away a tear in her eye, "but what did you mean about the 'pressure' your father was under? Why on him more than any other pureblooded wizard such as, for instance, Arthur Weasley?"

"It's a bit complicated. It might take a while to explain," Draco claimed nervously, slightly apprehensive to get into this topic in front of Voldemort's defeater.

"We're not getting too much sleep tonight anyway," remarked Harry drily, speaking to him for the first time that night. "And I'm very curious what you meant by that comment." No matter how much Harry tried, he just couldn't fathom the motive behind joining the dark side and he was desperate to understand as to prevent another war.

"Alright then."

The night wore on as Draco attempted to explain, though not excuse, his father's actions. His grandfather had been a close acquaintance with Tom Riddle in school and was a firm believer that the world should be rid of muggles. Lucius was expected to help shape the movement. Draco spoke of the struggle between what was expected and what was right and how eventually what was right lost.

Held spellbound, Harry had and endless amount of questions and they would've continued for a long time but the sound of Ron's sleep talking shook them out of their trance and finally made them aware of the lateness of the hour.

"I get the feeling that we've long passed the extent of Weasley's attention span. What time is it anyway?" Draco asked over the mumbling about prophecies.

"I believe it is…" Hermione glanced at the clock and did a double take. "Oh my, I did not realize how late it was. It's 5 o'clock!" She exclaimed. "all right , let's go to bed, there will be time to talk tomorrow but now my brain just processed what time it is and I can barely keep my," here she stifled a yawn, "keep my eyes open."

Draco stood up to leave and muttered awkwardly, "I guess, er, maybe I- yah I'm gonna go now."

"Oh don't be ridiculous, you'll splinch yourself!" she cried. "I'm sure there's a place for you here, right Harry?"

"Er… Not really, I mean," Harry hastily amended his statement after a death glare from his best friend, "I'm sure there's a couch somewhere or something."

"Perfect," Hermione beamed. "Now, although leaving Ron like this is quite appealing after his appalling behavior tonight, or should I say last night, I think we should get him into bed if only for the sake of all the kindness his mother has done for us. Oh, and speaking of the Weasley family you really should go and clear things up with Ginny tomorrow. I hate making her upset."

"Me too," Harry remarked glumly. "It's just so ridiculous! I'll go over to the Burrow tomorrow. Alright let's try to get his oaf to bed." He went to shake him, "Ron, Ron let's go!"

Ron groaned and shrugged his shoulders trying to rid himself of the nuisance. Harry tried another time, speaking louder.

The sleeping man shook him off again but this time started muttering. "Let go, let go."

"Ron wake up or I'll leave you here."

"Let me go!" He shoved back ruthlessly. "I have to go to her, I have to save her. Don't you see he's going to hurt her?" He began to convulse and cry. "I've got to help, she thinks she got him but she didn't."

Harry and Hermione were desperately trying to awaken him.

"He's going to–" he screamed, "Hermione!"

Finally Hermione's voice broke through and Ron's eyes flew open. When he registered who was standing in front of him, he flung his arms around her in a panic, dry sobbing uncontrollably. "There was purple fire, and then you fell and I couldn't stop him..."

Hermione lowered her head to look directly into his eyes and said gently but firmly, "I'm fine. I'm right here and I'm okay. It was a dream. That's all it was, just a dream."

"But…" Ron started. Then he flushed a shade of red to rival a tomato that reached the tips of his ears as the realization of where he was and what he was doing dawned on him. "Oh." He quickly dropped his arms from their incriminating hold on Hermione.

"Are you alright?" she gently inquired. "That seemed like a horrid nightmare."

"Yeah mate," Harry added, "it sounded like something bad was happening to Hermione. What was that all about?"

"I don't know," exclaimed Ron. "It just seemed so, arg!" he put his head in his hands. "It was so familiar. I've been having strange dreams for the past two weeks and they seem to fit together in some way. It's like someone is trying to tell me something important."

Momentarily forgotten, Draco had been smirking at Ron's emotional display. Now he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Your dream? Hmm, you think your dream is sending you a message." Ron shot him a glare that he chose to ignore. "Never pegged you as the Trelawney type before."

"Look here Malfoy," Ron growled, "Unless you want a free nose job I would advise-"

The others in the room never got to hear that sage piece of wisdom because instead they had the privilege of viewing a very rare occurrence. Ronald Weasley was having an epiphany.

He jumped up and began pacing and muttering excitedly, "The doors, the x's, the prophecies, the Death Eaters, and of course the purple fire. It's all coming together!"

"What's coming together?" Harry ventured but Ron acted like he didn't hear him and went on pacing.

"That should account for- I was in the right place all along, I just never thought to _look_…"

"Look for precisely what?" tried Hermione.

"But of course that would be the exact thing to do it."

"Weasel!" Draco prodded.

"The whole time, my dreams had been pointing directly at our answer," he marveled in wonder.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" bellowed the three simultaneously.

Ron shook his head as if he had just been awakened form a deep trance and turned to face them. "The Department of Mysteries," he enunciated slowly. "That's what I've been dreaming about because that is where this all began." He paused to look Hermione directly in the eyes. "The night we went there to find Sirius," he continued oblivious to Harry's shudder, "I was attacked by brains and you were cursed. I think that spell is what opened you up to cancer."

Harry shouted, "What?"

Hermione gasped and sat down.

And Draco asked for information, what was this curse, and how could they overcome it.

Sleep was once again forgotten for the night.

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**Author's Note:** I owe you guys such an apology! It's an extra long chapter because I feel really guilty. I said three weeks and it turned into a year! I really hope all my loyal readers haven't abandoned me but I wouldn't blame anyone if he or she had. The one good thing is that I think my writing style has improved, I was looking at the first chapter and I decided it needs major revision but I'm not doing that until I finish this story. I had really amazing plans for _Hermione's Condition_ but to implement them I would need to write quite a few more chapters and I'm not going to put you through such a long wait again so I guess there will only be about two or three chapters more :(. I'll try to write the next one as soon as possible but I've learned my lesson about making promises!

P.S. I'm so excited! I hit one hundred reviews!


	11. Those Poor, Poor Flowers

Hey guys! I know it's been a while so here's a recap of what's happened recently!

**"It's really great that you two are finally together. I hope you make each other happy, and if you do, I'm truly happy for you. Harry, I'm sorry if I acted too presumptuous at the party, you too Hermione. I just," her breath hitched, "just didn't realize you guys were an item. I guess I was blind. Take good care of him, Hermione, he deserves the best. I, I gotta go."  
**----------  
**"First of all, Harry, you're a git. Thank you, what I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that in fifth year when my Dad was bitten by that snake I thought- it was like my world came crashing down. And when we lost, we lost… damn, I gotta say it! We lost Fred, well, yeah. No matter how much my family embarrasses me and drives me crazy, I need them and I know you need yours. If you need support, I'll come with you to Australia or wherever you stuck your parents and bring them home."  
**----------  
**Ron shook his head as if he had just been awakened form a deep trance and turned to face them. "The Department of Mysteries," he enunciated slowly. "That's what I've been dreaming about because that is where this all began." He paused to look Hermione directly in the eyes. "The night we went there to find Sirius," he continued oblivious to Harry's shudder, "I was attacked by brains and you were cursed. I think that spell is what opened you up to cancer."**

* * *

Disclaimer: The characters and the background of the plotline are the property of J.K. Rowling.  
And on with the show!

**Those Poor, Poor Flowers**

Hermione found Ginny tanning on the grass and enjoying the beautiful weather, sunshine mixed with the breeze that gently blew her loose hair around her face, while conducting scientific research. She watched unnoticed as Ginny became progressively more and more frustrated until the older girl could remain silent no longer and suddenly blurted out, "He likes you!"

Startled, Ginny sat up hastily and shoved the ruined flowers behind her. "Hey Hermione," she said evenly while trying to surreptitiously brush grass from her hair, "haven't seen you around in a while."

"That might be because you've been avoiding me," Hermione remarked dryly. She chose to ignore the flush spreading across her friend's cheeks. "Can we talk? I can give you a better description of Harry's feelings than those flowers you've been assaulting can." At mention of her ex-boyfriend's name, the tips of Ginny's ears burned bright crimson. She twisted away ever so slightly as the brunette sat down next to her.

The shift did not go unnoticed. Hermione sighed. How did they get to this point? Sure they were different, but even though she loved books and Ginny was more of an athlete, they had bonded as the only girls in a Burrow full of boys. Estrogen vs. Testosterone. It was ironic, Hermione mused, that it was one of these same boys coming between them now. And worst of all, she didn't even like him! (Well she did, but not in THAT way.)

"He really wants to talk to you," she started quietly, "but you keep running away." An option that Ginny was considering at that very moment. Hermione tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "We never meant to hurt you."

Ginny jumped up as if burned, shaking the hand off. "I completely accept that you and Harry are a couple. It's-" she swallowed, "great that you guys found happiness but please," she paused and closed her eyes, "PLEASE don't expect me to smile, pretend that it doesn't feel like my heart has been ripped in to pieces and _stomped_ on, and be the beaming maid of honor at your wedding." She was visibly shaking.

On second thought, maybe those weren't the best words to start with. Hermione tried to explain, "You misunderstand me. Please be rational-"

"Rational?" the redhead questioned in disbelief as she lost all control on her anger. (Maybe asking for rational thinking wasn't the best idea either.) Her feelings of betrayal surfaced and she began to yell, "Love isn't rational! It isn't one your darling little Arithmancy problems where everything works out perfectly. There are no direct translations like in Ancient Runes!" She clenched and unclenched her wand hand repeatedly.

"I know you never 'meant to hurt me.' Of course you _knew _I've fancied Harry for ages and you were the one that convinced me to follow my heart and chase after him, but" she took a deep breath to steady herself and then plunged on, "I can't blame you for wanting to be with someone you love. But I really don't want to treat you to my infamous Bat Bogey Hex so it's probably best if you leave." Her chest heaved. "Now."

Sensing she was getting nowhere, Hermione almost left. But Ginny's next contemptuous words yanked her back. "Does Ron even know that you two are an item? I hope you're not stringing my brother along like Harry did to me. He deserves better than that-"

"God damn it, Ginny! I am not dating Harry!" she shrieked. "I just came back from a very long and tiring trip (with your brother I'd like to add) and I'm way past my breaking point. I don't know where you got the preposterous idea," her voice rose a notch, "that Harry and I are, or ever have been, more than friends but let me tell you right now the very idea makes me nauseated. You obviously have no idea what's going on so sit down and listen before I treat you to _my_ collection of hexes that I doubt you have ever even heard of."

Ginny dropped to the ground, arms folded tightly against her chest and the doubt in her eyes evident.

Hermione kept pacing for a few more seconds and then abruptly sat down right in front of her. Ginny stubbornly avoided her gaze. "Look at me," she demanded. "Ginny, look at me," her voice broke, "please." When her plea went unheeded she grabbed the sullen girl's chin and forced her head up. Her grasp loosened slightly as she took in the hurt and the glimmer of hope lurking behind the disbelief. Ginny was too afraid to believe her because she just didn't want to open herself to be hurt again. Fear of rejection was something Hermione understood. Her voice softened, "I change my mind, I have nothing more to tell you other than promise that I would never intentionally do something that would cause you pain.

"However, there is someone else who, if I presume correctly, has quite a lot to say to you and he's actually quite desperate to be given a chance." She quickly released the shaking girl and took out her wand. After muttering _Sonorous_, she called out in a clear voice, "Harry!"

A head of messy jet-black hair emerged from a spot in the trees that was just beyond normal hearing range. Again Ginny looked right and left for a possible escape route; her flight instinct taking over. Hermione gently steadied her and softly commanded, "Stay," before letting go and taking a few steps away. She then stopped and turned around to face Ginny. "Come find me when you're ready to talk." She turned back. One more step. With a last backward glance she whispered, "I miss you." And with a small crack she was gone.

Harry tentatively approached Ginny, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. "Hi," he croaked, "you wanna take a walk with me?"

Just a few yards away, a disillusioned figure watched as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. A small, unseen smile briefly crossed Hermione's invisible face and she nodded once as if to assert her approval. She cast a non-verbal silencing spell and then disapparated once again, this time leaving the lovers' reunion in the clearing far behind and entering the suburbs she had lived in for the first eleven years of her life. The ones she had called home up until the summer following sixth year.

After checking all around for passersby, she let the disillusionment spell fall. Walking briskly through the streets, she kept her thoughts focused solely (no pun intended) on putting one foot in front of the other. Left. Right. Left. Right. Le- "Oh, this is ridiculous!" she huffed at the surprised stray cat that had the ill fortune to walk past her at that moment. It gave her a disdainful look and scampered off.

Hermione spent the remaining two blocks trying to recite the chapter titles of _Hogwarts, A History_ in the correct order. She had just remembered chapter 35, "Swirling Staircases and Cruising Corridors," when she reached the doorstep of her destination. As she searched her pockets for the key, the door swung open and almost knocked her down.

"Ron!"

"Sorry Hermione," he ran his hand through his hair sheepishly, "I was just nervous you wouldn't make it back and I'd have to be with them alone."

"Are they awake?" she asked as Ron moved aside to let her into the house.

He offered her a half-smile. "Not yet, but your mum is muttering in her sleep."

She smiled back. "She always used to do that. Dad would complain about it every morning,"

"_Hermione, you have been in that school for how many years now? You must have learned some magical spell that prevents sleep-talking," her Dad called from his post at the stove. Wearing an adorable 'Kiss me, I brushed my teeth' apron and flipping pancakes, he purposely ignored his wife who was sitting across from Hermione at the kitchen table. "Your mother kept me up again all night," he added in a stage whisper. Her mum pretended to be highly insulted and mimicked chucking a plate at his head._

"But then they would kiss and all would be forgotten…" her smile faded. "Forgotten." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I can't believe I did that to them, took away all their memories. I did it for their own good and I don't regret it, but I really hope they're going to be okay. Maybe I should have left them in Australia."

"Woah, woah! We are not going back to that. We had this conversation already," Ron said adamantly.

"_Maybe we should turn back," she whispered timidly. From their vantage point, crouched behind the white wooden fence with their heads twisted around the opening, they could see into the Gran- Wilk- Grangers' sitting room._

_He looked at her and blinked. "Are you trying_ _to tell me that after searching for your parents for a week because you hid them so well, which meant that I had to sleep in a tent and eat bad food for a week, we're just going to turn back? How do I say this nicely? No way in hell!" He paused. "What's this really about?"_

_She watched as Wendell and Monica Wilkins laughed. "I'm scared," she admitted. "Let's say they're happier like this? And more importantly, I was really lucky that my memory charm didn't transform them into the likes of Professor Lockhart. Let's say I mess up when I try to undo it?"_

_They watched in silence for another few minutes. Finally Ron proclaimed, "Let's go. You're doing this right now. Nothing is going to go wrong and you're going to do everything perfectly like you always do because you're annoyingly bloody brilliant."_

"I could have done a lot of damage, though!" Hermione was becoming progressively more hysterical. "I completely reconstructed their memories. They had to have no recollection of me but I had to make sure they remembered each other. They couldn't recall anything that had to do with London but at the same time have a strong enough bond that they wouldn't decide to divorce. And now I tried to undo all of that!"

"Stop, just stop," he cut her off. She raised an eyebrow at him and he hurried to retract his statement, "What I meant is if you were able to do such a hard memory charm in the first place, you're able to reverse it. I mean, c'mon, it's you! Remember, brightest witch of all time?"

She sighed. "I'll feel much better when they wake up. How long has it been?

"Chill out. That was some spell. Give it time to work. In the mean time, do you want something to eat?" Ron beckoned towards the kitchen.

"Seriously Ronald," she admonished him as she followed him, "only you can think of food at a time-"

"Hermione?" called a timid voice from the top of the stairs.

She swiveled around immediately, "Mum!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: Miss me much? I took a break to write a oneshot for "Harry Potter" and a so far oneshot, might be expanded, for "Glee." Thanks for sticking with! Hope you enjoyed and I'd love to hear any comments you have. If you want to check it out, I'm actually going back to the original chapters to fix them up a bit. My writing skills have thankfully improved since I started this story so I'm going back, but don't worry it's only very minor changes to make them more believable. Chapter 1 is the only one does so far but I plan on fixing more in the next few days. As for this chapter, Fanfiction hates me so the center button isn't working for me but I'll try to come back later and fix that. Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing!)


	12. One Sided Conversations

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

Things were supposed to fall into place. Conflicts come with their arguments, loss of sleep, heartache, and tears and then lead into the resolution.

The happily every after.

The fairy tale ending.

Hermione has a mortal enemy. They make amends and become great friends; they get into a fight, and then are friends again.

Hermione keeps a secret from her closest friends, she reveals it; they support her through her hardest times.

Hermione wipes her parents' memories and sends them to Australia; she retrieves them; they love her as much as ever.

Hermione's only girlfriend thinks she stole her boyfriend (who happens to also be Hermione's best friend) and is devastated; the confusion is cleared; the two friends get back together.

Hermione is ill with a disease never seen before in the wizarding world; time is running out; her best-friend has strange dreams that lead him, her other best friend, and her ex-mortal enemy to discover how she contacted her illness; in no time the cure is discovered and tragedy is averted. Happily ever after.

Or not. Or maybe the initial high of discovering that the curse in the Department of Mysteries was what allowed cancer to get past magic's defenses began to wear off as they hit dead end after dead end. Maybe despair started to set in as they saw Hermione deteriorate before their very eyes.

* * *

Hermione's hair started to fall out in clumps.

One morning she didn't show up to a breakfast date with Ginny. Three hours into a frantic search where everyone she had spoken to in the last year was drilled for information, a nurse named Laura at the local muggle hospital called her childhood friend Mrs. Granger to inquire whether the little daughter she had met years ago was now in her late teens. When Mrs. Granger replied yes, Laura told her that she might want to come down to the hospital. Apparently a young woman had fainted in the middle of London and bystanders called for an ambulance. The woman had no identification on her but the nurse thought she bore a marked resemblance to her friend. Would there be any particular reason Mrs. Granger's daughter would be carrying a stick?

Although Hermione refused to elaborate on the story the nurse had told and tried to brush the fainting spell off as an isolated event caused by lack of food, the incident marked the last time she was allowed to travel anywhere alone. The next incident occurred about a week later. It was lucky someone was around to hear her cry for help.

"I'm here!" Harry called as he let himself into the flat with his own key. The only sound that greeted him was of water rushing and soft humming. While waiting for Hermione to finish her shower, he sat down on the couch and looked around for something to occupy himself.

A quidditch magazine Ron had left from his last visit caught his eye. Settling himself in, he kicked off his shoes, propped his legs up, and summoned a glass of water from the kitchen.

A crash followed by a shriek startled him. He jumped up, sending the magazine flying and the glass crashing to the floor. "Hermione?" Silence. He raced to the bathroom. Pressed against the door he called, "Hermione, is everything okay?" He pounded on the door. "Hermione!" he yelled. "Are you alright? What happened?" He received no response. "Please answer me!" He only heard the water running and the sound of his heart pounding. "Hermione if you don't answer me I'm coming in!"

He fumbled for his wand. "Alohamora!" Adrenaline rushing, the door blasted open and Harry stormed in. Low groans came from behind the closed shower curtain. He called softly, "Hermione, I'm opening the curtain." Hearing no protest, he pushed it open and found Hermione barely conscious and bleeding profusely from where she had smashed her head against the wall.

Standing stock still, his vision swam. There was just so much blood. Why was there so much blood? No, this couldn't be the end. "_Do something!"_ Harry's inner voice screamed.

Snapping out of his trance, he sprang into action.

* * *

Blurring in and out of consciousness, Hermione heard concerned voices all around her. A constant stream of visitors moved through her room. Her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry. Ron. Ginny. Draco. She wanted to reach out, reassure them. They all looked so worried and she wanted to tell them that it would all be okay. They would pull through this like they had through every other trial of their lives. If only she could just get the words out.

Now, her mother was bent over her, whispering softly, "Wake up, Hermione. Please wake up." Over and over repeated those words like a mantra as the tears streamed down her mother's cheeks. How long her mother sat there, Hermione didn't know. It could have been hours, minutes, seconds, or years as her mum sat by her side and called out again and again in a soothing tone. Hermione felt herself embracing the peace of deep sleep.

"Please, wake up!" Hermione was startled back into hazy wakefulness by her mother's sudden exclamation. Mrs. Granger spread out her arms and looked towards the heavens as she let her deep sobs wrack her body. "I need you!" she beseeched. "I need you." She attempted to breathe deeply to gain control of herself. "I can't go on like this. I'm falling apart." She felt her heart breaking inside as she loving glanced down at her daughter. "You're my everything and you're slipping away from me."

She reached to smooth Hermione's hair but stopped short. What would happen if she knocked into her breathing tube? She settled on grasping her daughter's hand. As if that small contact would be enough when all she wanted to do was wrap her baby up in her arms and never let her go. "Just give me a sign that you hear me. Anything," she begged.

She waited hopefully for her miracle. Hermione would open her eyes and say, "Mum?" confused why her mother looked so distraught. Yelling for her husband, the doctor, the nurse, everyone, she would embrace her daughter and everything would be all right. This nightmare of nights blending into days sitting long hospital vigils would end. And she would have her precious baby back.

Hermione wanted, with every fiber of her being, to respond. To tell her mum to stop crying, that everything would be alright. To reach up and stroke her mum's tear-streaked cheek. Frustration clawed at her as she fruitlessly tried to raise her hand. Damnit! Just to squeeze her mother's hand! What she would do at that moment to possess the control of her faculties and be able to squeeze her mother's hand!

As she watched her mother's hopeful face crumple into despair, she summoned all the energy she possessed to wiggle her damn fingers. And she felt trapped, oh so trapped, as she realized she was helpless. Her mother's screams tore at her, and she felt powerless as she watched her father race into the room and gather her sobbing mother into his arms, rocking her and whispering soothing words Hermione didn't catch.

Suddenly, she didn't want to be aware of her surroundings. All she wanted to do was escape her parents' pain, so clearly displayed in front of her. She welcomed the oblivion of sleep as it claimed her and released her from the weakness that taunted her.

_Author's Note: I know, dear readers, that this is not the update you've all been so patiently waiting for and it leaves so many questions unanswered, but this was the chapter that was inside of me so that's what came out. I hope to finish this story but I make no promises. I hope you enjoy this update and, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you._


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